As part of the Youth Leadership for Action program, students from two local high schools identified literacy as a need in their community. They found that many young children had limited access to local public libraries and some schools had no library whatsoever. In response, they decided to organize a library for an elementary school that did not have one.

At the Los Angeles Youth Forum, the students had the opportunity to meet with their City Council representative and a representative from the Los Angeles County Library. Through their interaction with these community leaders, the students acquired contact information for organizations and businesses who might donate to their project. The students also learned how they could start a cataloging system for their library.

The students then located a school in need and spent several months converting an unused classroom into a library. They collected over 3,000 books and raised $800 to buy bookcases and posters for the library. In response to their efforts, the elementary school integrated a weekly library hour into their schedule for each grade.